A meeting of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) remained inconclusive on Thursday as both Punjab and Sindh refused to budge from their positions.
An official of the water watchdog said keeping in mind water shortages, Sindh and Punjab sought supply of available water according to two different formulas. Sindh asked Irsa to change existing formula and allocate water under Para-2 of the Indus Water Accord of 1991 which promises more water to Sindh.
Para-2 is applicable to a situation when annual water availability is estimated at 117.4 million acre feet (MAF), of which Sindh’s share is 48.76 MAF and that of Punjab 55.7 MAF.
Water needs for the Rabi crop sowing season under Para-2 are assessed at 38.2 MAF against 78.2 MAF for the Kharif season. In case Para-2 is implemented, Sindh will get 5 MAF more water in Kharif and 0.5 MAF additional supplies in Rabi which will be cut from the share of Punjab.
A technical committee of Irsa had estimated that 34.5 MAF of water would be available for the Rabi season, starting from October. Average system losses were worked out at 8 per cent, leading to a shortage of 10 to 15 per cent of water, an Irsa official said. The gap is lesser than last Rabi season’s shortfall of 31 per cent.
The official said Punjab has demanded distribution of water under Para 14b of the Apportionment Accord which is applicable in cases of shortage but promises more share for the most populated province. The clause is applicable when annual water availability is assessed at 105 MAF.
Punjab’s member of Irsa Shafqat Masood took the plea that the dispute over implementation of Para-2 for water distribution has remained unsettled for the last 20 years and it cannot be resolved in haste.
Punjab government has already asked the watchdog to refer the matter to the Council of Common Interests, a statutory body comprising the Centre and the provinces, to settle the issue. It argued that application of Para-2 would deprive the province of its legitimate share of water.
Punjab sought more time before reaching any conclusion on adoption of a new water distribution mechanism.
Irsa Chairman Raqeeb Khan decided to take a decision after listening to Punjab’s views in the next meeting.
Sindh also demanded an equitable distribution of water shortages and withdrawal of exemptions available to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, the smaller provinces foiled the move, calling for provision of infrastructure to use their share of water and after that they would be ready to absorb the losses.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2010.
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